Nothing

Disclaimer:

This poem was written for IBL (Indian Bloggers League), organised by Write-Up Cafe. I represent Westerlies- Winds of Change, which is the West Zone side. This poem was selected as one of the best entries under the given theme by West Zone and hence has been submitted for contention at national level.

Heat, shine, all piercing bright

Fires engulfing, my world alight;

A building a road a playful ground

All I can see is strewn ashes around.

It's all an ordeal I wake to now

My life is in shambles, I know not how.

What have I done, where have I come?

Lost! I stumble upon the ruins of my home

People say anger steals all the light

But wrath of a woman – how do I fight?

Not one or two, but seven slay me.

Suspiring pleasure, leads me to a peccadillo spree,

Buried is my existence under spiders of sins

Just not small, but like a tornado spins.

The Satan tempted and blurred my sight,

Like a fool I followed, oblivious to the awaiting plight.

A sepulcher I carved for all I held dear;

The new wine in a bottle old, was more than I could bear.

The heat, the shine, the glamour, the wine

Pulled me into the darkness that no one could define

A life that shimmered in the galore of pride

Is now in dust on the path millions have to stride.

All who abandoned their indulgence free life,

Family and friends with some haughty strife -

The millions who crashed into the abyss of loathing

And now, like me, all are reduced to nothing.

-Vaisakhi Mishra

P.S.:  the theme was--> There are 10 ingredients given below. Each team has to come up with 3 writeups (Short story or poem). Each writeup should contain any 3 of the total 10 ingredients available. Each of the ingredients should play an important role in the story. Please note the same ingredient cannot be used in more than one writeup.

Ingredients:
1. An orphan
2. A building on fire
3. An old metal box
4. A wine bottle
5. A reclusive billionaire-vigilante
6. An angry woman
7. A Superhero
8. A dead tiger
9. A recurring memory
10. The final minute ( of my life )

I selected 

elements 2 - A building on fire, 4 - A Wine Bottle, 6 - An angry woman

A Mother's Prayer

Disclaimer:
This poem was written for IBL (Indian Bloggers League), organised by Write-Up Cafe..  I represent Westerlies- Winds of Change, which is the West Zone side. This poem was selected as the best poem of West Zone and hence has been submitted for the final round.

The scent of orange blossoms dances, with you, in the air.

O my sweet, my light in despair

Your smile weaves my pleasant days

Your cry paints everything gray

The clatter of your playful self, innocence undefined,

The sweetness of your gentle words – Love purified.

I sing for Gods to shower bliss, of all that men claim;

‘Cause you symbolize a love so deep, it’s out of Aphrodite’s game.

Dancing on the rosy cloud of love she roams around

But little does she understand, of the strongest love on this ground.

A passion undying that rules the world, the love of a mother for a child

But all she sees is the love that sways, the shrewd two edged Knife.

A ray of hope, A lullaby of love,

That is all I sing to you, my dove;

A prayer to the Goddess of love,

To seek you a man

From the dreamy land,

Who sees the passion beyond the seas

And loves you more than if he were me.

-Vaisakhi Mishra

Magical Midnight's Masterpiece

FIRST PUBLISHED: 1980

ISBN: 978-0-099-52978-1

GENRE: Magic Realism, Historical Fiction

EXCERPT:

'Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me…..'

Saleem Sinai, Midnight’s Children.

REVIEW:

Midnight's Children, the 2^nd book by Salman Rushdie, deals with India's transition from the holds of British Raj to post independence civil struggle, and build-up of the new Indian era—all with a dash of magic. The story revolves around children born at the exact time of India’s partition, during midnight. It has an interesting frictional climax as each and every child born is blessed with some magical power. Saleem Sinai is a brilliant protagonist, created by Rushdie, who is telepathic with a peculiar problem of a constantly running enormous nose and a very strong sense of smell. The story gradually progresses from realizing the powers of all kids like him to organizing the Midnight’s Children conference. He acts as a telepathic conduit, bringing the midnight’s children together and deciphering the meaning of each power.

The book holds you, as it is set amidst real life incidents. It is a journey to India’s past. Through a beautiful literary journey, the reader becomes a part of the making of Modern India. The narration is simple yet captivating. It has a perfect plot with a straight laced protagonist troubled by witty and cunning antagonists. There are a lot of instances where Rushdie skilfully camouflages his questions and conclusions of our nation, in Saleem’s simple thoughts and words. The story is intriguing as it weaves different facets of India as—a British colony; partition and war plagued country and Modern India—a puppet in Indira Gandhi’s political arena—all as important turning points in a common man’s life born with an uncommon fate. Also it successfully conjures a spell of the cultural and traditional diversity that India had and has to offer. The story is not only the sum total of Saleem’s life but is also metaphorically the sum total of India—as we know it today.

Rushdie with his literary brilliance manages to show India as a caged phoenix, pained, and tortured, that burns itself out and rises from the ashes—with not just memories of the past, but also the vision of a bright future. Stories written with the flare to entertain yet educate are the greatest works on literature. Midnight’s Children states the obvious with a new luminosity and a broad outlook. It makes people realize what past tried to teach and what present and future have in store, and also why they need to harness what they have with the right motive.

Pros:

1.      Brilliant narration by Rushdie with great eloquence that opens the bounds of imagery and vocabulary.

2.      The life-like events make you believe in this magical fictional tale.

3.      The simple characters with heterogeneous personalities show a vast range of feelings that make you cry, laugh, and sympathize with them.

Cons:

1.      Too many characters to remember, as the story develops.

2.      Use of too many non-English words would make people refer the glossary every now and then.

On the whole, the book creates a magical country alongside our real India, to help us see the difference yet satiate ourselves with what we are left with by the end of the novel. I see it as one of the most successful retrospections of post colonial India and thus a must read. Clearly a book with accolades of Booker Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the "Booker of Bookers" makes Rushdie a deserving candidate of the Nobel Prize that has eluded him so far.

MY RATING:-4.7/5

PAGES: - 446 (hardback)

COST: - Rs. 399/- (hardback)

p.s.- the review is completely my own view about the book...vaisakhi mishra

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